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5 former Arsenal players who Mikel Arteta made the right call to sell
- Mikel Arteta has revitalised Arsenal
- The Spanish coach has made some cutthroat decisions
- Here are 5 former Arsenal players who Mikel Arteta made the right call to sell
By Kian Long
Mikel Arteta has been known to make many cutthroat decisions during his time as Arsenal boss. Naturally, the Spanish boss has made some wrong calls but most of his decisions have been spot-on. Here are 5 former Arsenal players who Mikel Arteta made the right call to sell...
5 former Arsenal players who Mikel Arteta made the right call to sell
1. Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Mikel Arteta made the executive decision that Ainsley Maitland-Niles was not good enough to play for Arsenal. It was a call that managers before him were too afraid to make but the decision proved pivotal to the improvement of the squad.
I mean this as no disrespect to AMN, who was a reliable Hale End graduate, but look at the options at right-back and midfield (his two positions), now. Ben White is one of Arsenal's best players and selling Maitland-Niles in the summer of 2023 made room in the squad for Declan Rice to sign. Selling him was a win-win.
2. Nicolas Pepe
This one speaks for itself, right?
Mikel Arteta inherited Nicolas Pepe, who was signed by Unai Emery before him as Arsenal's record signing at the time. While Pepe clearly had talent, he had no way of applying it. An exceptional dribbler, one of the world's best in fact, but he had absolutely no end product.
Therefore, after many failed attempts to include Pepe in the starting eleven, Mikel Arteta finally had enough and parted ways with Pepe in 2023.
READ MORE: Why Arsenal fans need to stick by Mikel Arteta
3. Folarin Balogun
The world was sold a dream in the 2022/23 season, when Folarin Balogun tore it up in Ligue 1 whilst on loan from Arsenal. This begged the question of whether he would be good enough to start as the striker for Arsenal.
Given his drop-off this season, scoring just 7 Ligue 1 goals all season, Arsenal fans should count themselves lucky that Mikel Arteta made the difficult decision to sell him, rather than implement him in the team.
4. Shkodran Mustafi
It is hilarious to consider that just a few seasons ago, Arsenal fans were forced to endure the likes of Shkodran Mustafi, Rob Holding and David Luiz at centre back, where they now have the best centre back pairing in the world, William Saliba and Gabriel.
Thankfully, Mikel Arteta made the not-so-difficult decision to let go of Shkodran Mustafi in 2021. Mustafi lasted just half a season at Schalke before being made a free agent. He has also had a spell with Levante but he is yet again a free agent.
5. Mesut Ozil
There is no denying that Mesut Ozil is one of the best players to play for Arsenal, especially in the Emirates Stadium era. However, nobody can deny either that he stayed at the club for too long.
Mikel Arteta made the right call to let go of his former teammate Mesut Ozil in 2021. Ozil is now retired and proudly supports Arsenal, which is always great to see.
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